(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fish hanger, and, more specifically, to an apparatus and method that can help skin fish. The present invention relates more to a portable fish hanging objects, such as from trees.
(2) Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of fishing. More specifically, the invention relates to metal fishing hangers and methods for making the same. Various shapes and types of hangers have been developed over the years, many of which are comprised of heavy steel hangers that are generally capable of withstanding high impact and other forces when, for example, a hanger is set in a fish. After a fish has been caught, the hanger has to be released from the mouth of the fish, but this is often difficult because the barb at the end of the fishhook is lodged inside of the fish to prevent its removal, as is its normal function. Removal of a fish hanger is easier if the barb is lodged just inside the mouth of the fish, but is difficult and sometimes impossible if the hook has been completely swallowed and is deep inside the fish. Thus, there are times that a fisherman loses their hanger and must dissect a fish to recover it.
Heretofore, the skinning of fish has presented a difficult, messy job, which required the fish be held in such manner that complete access might be had thereto without the fish slipping through the hands of the person skinning the fish. Furthermore, there was always the possibility of a knife slipping, resulting in injury to the person skinning the fish.
In the prior art, there are fish hooks with hinged and otherwise rotatable barbs that are moved to allow for easier removal of the fish hook from the mouth of a fish. With one prior art fish hook disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,756, the barb is literally hinged. A fish caught with such a fish hook must be removed from the water, and the fisherman must reach inside the mouth of the fish to rotate the barb to a position that permits the fish hook to be removed without causing further harm to the mouth of the fish. This is difficult and sometimes impossible if the hook is caught deep inside the mouth of the fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,643, to Prysock, discloses a fish supporting apparatus. The apparatus is adapted to be used for supporting fish during skinning, scaling, or other cleaning operations. More specifically, the device includes a brace support structure with two upper downwardly-angled support arms that support the outer end of a third horizontal support arm. The inner ends of all three arms are fastened to a vertical support member. Furthermore, a hook is suspended from a chain that is supported by the brace support structure that is secured to a mouth or head portion of the fish to suspend the fish for convenient cleaning operations. While the Prysock support intends to be fixed to a tree, its attachment is more of a permanent one. Bolts, as well as spikes, must be driven into the tree. This requires additional tools and time.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,199,820, to Thomson, discloses a support for hanging fish, game, and the like. The support hanger may be readily attachable to a stable support. Further, the support hanger facilitates the attachment of a fish thereto in such manner that the fish may be rotated about a vertical axis, to make possible the cutting open, skinning, or cleaning of the fish. More specifically, the support hanger includes an aperture bracket.
The present invention is a fish hanging apparatus and improved method of handling the skinning process, since it enables a person seeking to skin a fish the ability to skin the fish while it remains the moving positioning of the fish at all. The entire process can be accomplished with rotation the fish from its initial placement on the invention